Trentino-Alto Adige

Bordered by Switzerland and Austria to its north, the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige shares its Italian borders with Lombardy and Veneto to the south. Divided into two large autonomous provinces – Trento and Bolzano-Bolzen – Trentino-Alto Adige claims significant portions of the southern Alps. With the majority of its land covered in snowy mountainous terrain, the region is home to some of the best skiing areas in Italy. Lakes and forests abound, though, and the mild valleys offer an ideal climate for growing many types of fruit, including the succulent grapes on which the region bases its wine production.

Borders notwithstanding, there are distinct differences between the provinces of Trento (to the south) and Bolzano-Bolzen (to the north) in both terrain and cuisine. Trento, home to the region’s capital of the same name, is home to the Adige valley and houses most of the region’s pasture land, making it the hub of Trentino-Alto Adige’s dairy production. Bolzano-Bolzen, on the other hand, is predominantly cold and mountainous. It ties its economy more closely to winter sports travel and tourism, as well as pork production and handicrafts similar to its Swiss neighbors.

Trentino-Alto Adige is a relatively young region, having only been fully annexed by Italy in 1919, and because of its proximity to neighboring countries a large portion of the population speak German as well as Italian. Slavic culture and cooking traditions are still very much alive in Trentino-Alto Adige, and are married inextricably with the best of Italian tradition. Hearty potatoes, filling cabbages, smoky mushrooms, ripe apples, plump dumplings, rich cheeses, cured and smoked sausages and freshwater fish are as key to the region’s cuisine as tomatoes, olives and pastas are in the rest of Italy. In an unusual divergence from southern Italian tastes, beer is a favorite drink with midday and evening meals. Beer making can be traced back for centuries in the area, and is yet another testament to the strong Germanic influence Trentino-Alto Adige enjoys.

Trentino-Alto Adige is a dairy-lover’s paradise. Playing heavily in the region’s prolific milk production, recipes often make good use of cream, butter and cheeses. The list of native cow’s milk cheeses alone is extensive. Alta pusteria, asiago, bagoss, casolet, grana Alto Adige, grana Trentino, graukäse, pressato di Merano, puzzone di Moena, spressa, tosella and vezzena are just a few of the countless excellent cheeses produced in the region. Of these, asiago is probably the most widely used because of its versatility. It ranges in texture according to the length of aging, from pressato (young and creamy) to d’allevo (aged and crumbly), and can have flavors with notes similar to some parmesan and romano cheeses.

In keeping with the strong German influence, pork and pork products are essential to the region’s cooking. A local smoked ham called speck dell’Alto Adige is used to flavor many dishes, and is often simply boiled slowly and served with gnocchi (potato dumplings). All things sausage are prized in Trentino-Alto Adige, and indeed all things pork are integral to the regional dishes. Little goes to waste. Lard is rendered, meats are salt cured, and everything else is ground into sausages and salamis.

Lay your table out with dumplings, apples, sauerkraut, pork and beer, and you have the flavors of Trentino Alto-Adige all at your fingertips. For something a little different than the traditional gnocchi, try serving these spinach dumplings called strangolapreti. Served with applesauce-glazed pork chops and sautéed mushrooms, they’re a delicious taste of Trentino-Alto Adige you can whip up anytime.

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